So, I was gifted a...
...Wii. And yes, I'm well aware that it's over 18 years ago the console launched. I was lucky enough to have the console gifted to me by a close friend after his father, who owned one, sadly passed away. From the golden age of Wii Sports reaching out to all generations; gamers and casuals alike.
Although experienced console players from the seventh generation liked to see themselves as "hardcore" and often ridiculed the lower powered Wii, the true sales winner of that generation was in fact the Wii. While the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 would reach about 85 million units sold each, Wii would pass 100 million.
It brought Nintendo back to massive sales with stationary consoles, a number which had declined through the Nintendo 64 and GameCube era with Sony taking a massive marketing share with its PlayStation consoles. While Nintendo dominated the handheld market prior to the Wii with the DS passing over 150 million units sold, the company wanted to return in a strong way with a stationary console as well. Wii was that solution.
Console manufactures have since this era settled into simply refining what works well in their consoles; Microsoft and Sony competing for raw graphics power and Nintendo going an alternate route with Switch. However, when I look back on this seventh generation of consoles it's perhaps the last interesting one, with a lot of development taking different directions. Especially with the Wii.
Synonymous with the height of Wii popularity was Nintendo's CEO Satoru Iwata, who sadly passed away in 2015, and perhaps even more of a public figure was Reggie Fils-Aimé, CEO of Nintendo America. Reggie changed Nintendo's marketing style and modernised it, key in reviving the company as a dominant partner in the industry. His public appearance gained much popularity through his outspoken and direct voice towards the competitors.
These were the years where the yearly E3 conferences in the USA, were a huge gaming event. I recall many Wii presentations of its hardware and games from this era. A unique time that I look back on fondly.
Back story
While 360 & PS3 appealed to established players by pushing technical boundaries of graphics and online play, denying Wii's impact on the market, simply because hardware was simpler, is grossly underestimating it. Not only did it cater for the Nintendo veterans, but it also brought in the whole family, selling itself into homes which never would've bought a gaming device in the first place. Hence where my console originated!
Wii's massive impact has faded over time, perhaps after the ill-fated Wii U and drowned in the shadow of the most sold console of all-time, thereafter; the Switch. Similar to how the Switch in modern times has raised to massive sales fame by turning away from the hardware power race of Xbox and PlayStation, the Wii began this new strategic direction from Nintendo all the way back in 2006.
Wii moved away from the hardware race and offered a gyro-based control method, revolutionising how we perceived controlling games. It might have been disliked over time as third party titles varied enormously in quality when it came to their controls, but Nintendo's own first party titles navigated it cleverly. Retrospectively, it may be knocked down on by loud voices of the competition, but there's a reason Sony blatantly copied it with the PlayStation Move and Microsoft poured millions into the Kinect; aiming for similar experiences that cater for a demography with little gaming experience.
Priced lower than its competitors, especially the expensive PS3, the Wii hardware was basically an overclocked GameCube with additional memory. Thus, it resided in the 480i/480p range for resolution. A risky move as the world was rapidly transitioning over to HDTVs at the time. Both 360 and PS3 moved their focus over to the "HD" era with 720p resolution and fancy new shader effects, while Wii stayed visually in the same generation as the one that preceded it. Nintendo's smart move was that it cut hardware manufacturing and games development cost.
Design
Originally the Wii launched in white, probably the colour you think of when you hear the name, with a sleek and minimalist design which also went into its menu system too. A far cry from the bold appearance of the rather juvenile looking GameCube. The Wii almost disappears next to TV with its low-key and more mature design. It was much smaller than the competitors at the time with a few neat touches even just on the console's appearance alone.
Firstly, it can be placed either horizontally, which is the traditional way, but I feel the way it was designed was being placed vertically. This is emphasized by being bundled with a silver stand, giving the vertical position a tilted angle. Making it appear cool and iconic. My Wii is the black version which released 2009 and bundled with Wii Sports Resort. It even has a small plastic stand for the silver stand to be secured in. Talk about securing yourself from people tipping over the console! Not only that, but there are rubber grips for each controller and wrist straps too; the sheer amount of safety!
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Secondly, the disc slot has a neat blue, LED light surrounding it. Which blinks as you insert or eject a game disc. Back when it was online it would even blink when you received emails or messages too! A cool and, I must say, neat looking styling.
For the Wii to understand where the controllers are situated, it utilises a sensor bar which was also bundled with the console. While it's not ideal with things placed around your TV, it's a thin and barely noticeable plastic strip which can reside on top or beneath your screen. This needs to be specified in the console options so it can coordinate the onscreen cursor.
However, the most noticeable thing about the Wii is not the sleek design, but rather that Nintendo cleverly split the whole controller in two parts. A radical departure from traditional controllers and something that never had been done prior to it.
The main part was an IR remote with a gyro, the Wii Remote, which can be held vertically or horizontally and be turned in any direction to control. Separately, but connected to the Wii Remote with a cord, is the Nunchuk which offers an analogue stick, a couple of buttons and gyro controls in addition.
Still worth it?
